The Lakeshow Review

In the NBA, failing to show up will get you embarrassed. That’s what happened to the Los Angeles Lakers during last night’s playoff opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ever since trading for Luka Dončić during mid February’s trade deadline, the Lakers have been riding high, with a feeling of invincibility. Having won 19 of their last 32 games since the Luka trade going into the postseason, the team has maintained an air of confidence that emanates from JJ Redick’s coaching staff trickling down to its players. Even though there were some certified stinkers along the way (blow-out loss at Boston, a choking clinic against the Bulls, a baffling no-show versus Golden State to name a few) the prevailing thought has been that the good has outweighed the bad and when the team is on, it can beat anybody. That is not, however, a champion’s mentality. Championship teams take every loss to heart. They don’t hang their heads on the good, but rather on the bad. And they obsess on how to fix it. Think of Kobe’s Lakers or Jordan’s Bulls. You knew after a loss, those teams would be out for blood on the following night. You could almost anticipate the course correction, and come to expect it. 

The Lakers’ gameplan during a 117-95 beatdown at the hands of Minnesota was riddled with flaws. The type that scream unprepared, lackadaisical, unfocused and nonchalant. This year’s Lakers, however, are not the type of team who can just show up and win. At least they’ve yet to prove that they are, and we shouldn’t assume that they can. Because despite the star power and marquee attractions, this team hasn’t accomplished much. Following a 50-32 season, they’re just another playoff team in a loaded Western Conference. Their opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves, are only separated by a single game from the Lakers, sitting at 49-33. These are two evenly matched teams, for all intents and purposes. After a loss like tonight, it would serve the coaches and the players right to look themselves in the mirror and demand more, because it will take more to overcome a team that was hungrier and more focused during last night’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarter-Finals. 

The Lakers were behind the eight-ball for most of last night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite coming out of the gates swinging, led by Luka Dončić’s 12 out of the team’s first 18 points. However as time went on, it was clear that the Wolves came to play a 48 minute game and LA did not, as they chipped away at the Lakers’ lead and never looked back, leading at one point by as much as 26 points. The main culprit, in my opinion, was the haphazard execution on defense. Missed rotations and assignments made this game seem like a random early January contest, as opposed to one in late April. The team seemed to be walking on mud, and plagued by fundamental mistakes such as helping from the strong side on drives to the basket. Which resulted in a host of open shots for the likes of Minnesota’s Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels. It would behoove Redick and his staff to identify and assign sensible help responsibilities, so the team isn’t needlessly hemorrhaging corner threes to the opposition. Help should come from the weak side, and the low man should not be the man helping off of the strong side corner. This type of philosophy will get you bounced from the playoffs quickly and efficiently. Despite his rookie status, Head Coach JJ Redick has thus far proven smart and resourceful. So I reserve confidence that he and his staff will address these glaring issues. 

Offensively, the team was merely predictable. Relying heavily on isolation, and making minimal use of ball screens (an area where Luka Dončić feasted against the Timberwolves during last year’s playoffs). Moving forward, the Lakers will need to employ more pick and roll. But not just more ball screens, but rather better ball screens. More sophistication on the types of ball screens utilized will go a long way. Loop action, stack pick and roll, flare screens, stagger screens, etc. all need to find their way into the playbook. High pick and rolls are fine, but when that’s all that’s implemented, teams can quickly sniff it out and blow up the action. The Lakers need more counters to those automatics. Those high pick and rolls can’t devolve into isos as soon as they don’t go anywhere. Actions, even if unsuccessful, need to flow into other actions, in order to keep the defense guessing. Conversely, that’s precisely what the Timberwolves were able to accomplish. Aside from their hot shooting, they also combined crisp ball movement and execution to consistently keep LA on its heels. Led by Jaden McDaniels’ 25 points and 9 rebounds, and Anthony Edwards’ 22/8/9 slash line, Minnesota filled the box score by committee. Bench ace Naz Reid also chipped in with 23 points on 6 made threes (many of them corner ones after the Lakers helped off the strong side). Following the Wolves’ third quarter blitzkrieg, the game had been seemingly put away. 

The gameplan deficiencies were also complemented by mental deficiencies, and the Lakers did not come in ready to match the Timberwolves’ grit. Missed defensive boards, poor defensive rotations, unnecessary over-helping, dumb closeouts, weak picks and bad shot selection were all on full display last night. The Lakers were out-rebounded 38 to 44 and lost the turnover battle 10 to 13. Minnesota also won the points-off-turnovers battle 18 to 9 and outscored the Lakers in transition 25 to 6. Clean sweep in all the hustle categories. LA needs to find a way to counter Minnesota’s swarming athleticism with smarter play, better effort and a more tenacious approach to the finer details. With the home court advantage dissipated, a sense of urgency is needed to even the series and go into Minneapolis with an eagerness to return the favor. That is a champion’s mentality. Go Lakers.